This should be the last course a student takes before high school biology. Typically, Apologia recommends that the student take this course during the same year that he or she is taking prealgebra. Exploring Creation With Physical Science provides a detailed introduction to the physical environment and some of the basic laws that make it work. The fairly broad scope of the book provides the student with a good understanding of the earth's atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. It also covers details on weather, motion, Newton's Laws, gravity, the solar system, atomic structure, radiation, nuclear reactions, stars, and galaxies. The second edition of our physical science course has several features that enhance the value of the course:

* There is more color in this edition as compared to the previous edition, and many of the drawings that are in the first edition have been replaced by higher-quality drawings.

* There are more experiments in this edition than there were in the previous one. In addition, some of the experiments that were in the previous edition have been changed to make them even more interesting and easy to perform.

* Advanced students who have the time and the ability for additional learning are directed to online resources that give them access to advanced subject matter.

* To aid the student in reviewing the course as a whole, there is an appendix that contains questions which cover the entire course. The solutions and tests manual has the answers to those questions. Because of the differences between the first and second editions, students in a group setting cannot use both. They must all have the same edition. A further description of the changes made to this second edition courses can be found in the sidebar on page 32.